The Knight
by DappleMist
Summary: Sam's life has not been an easy one, until an act of kindness leads her to royalty.Now 18, her life begins to change again when she meets William of the Silver Blade.Will didn't think Sam the Lion Heart to be the princess.Their lives will not be the same
1. Prologue

What was that? I span around to see a shrieking woman with a crying baby in her arms and a furious Lord raising his whip. I run. How can I let a young mother and possibly new born be trampled by a raging horse and have a whip crack on their backs? I just can't let that happen! I shove the woman out of the way and shout to her a single, yet sharp word, "RUN!" I feel a slash across my back like a burst of fire. I struggle to keep from screaming out in pain. I roll out of the way just in time to miss the hooves of the horse as they thrash the ground next to my head. I scramble up as the Lord curses and throw his fist in the air as he lays another burst of flames on my spine, but this time I don't fall, I keep running. I run with all the strength I had left after the woman who's slowing from the weight of her baby. My back is screaming in pain! I know it's bleeding, but I have to get the two to safety. I catch up with the crying girl and snatch the babe from her arms and cradle him in one arm while grabbing the hand of the girl in the other. I hear harsh voices and trampling hooves behind us. They are catching up to us. We turn into a dark alley and hide behind a stack of boxes and crates as we hear the guards ride past. The girl looks at me surprised that a twelve-year-old girl just saved her life! My back is screaming and we are both gasping for breath. I hand her the sleeping babe. "Thank you, for saving us," she said.

"You're welcome," I reply as I check to see if the guards have found us. They haven't.

"What's your name?" she asks. I have a bleeding back, out of breath and she wants to know what my name is! I don't mean to be rude or anything, but what would really be useful right now would be if she could bandage up my wound.

"Sam," I simply say instead of the other remarks I really wanted to say.

"I'm Elizabeth and this is Peter," she said as she hugged her baby tighter.

"Do you know where you live from here?"

"Yes."

"Then you should probably get there as soon as possible, before the guards come back."

She nods and says "I hope we meet again," then she ran off with Peter asleep in her arms. "

"I really doubt that will happen," I mutter under my breath. My eyes follow her until she turned around the corner and vanished.

I decide that the coast is clear and stroll out the way we came in a while ago. As I turned around the corner I quickened my pace…. Big mistake! I ran into a huge man, a guard! He shouted something I didn't understand and the next thing I knew, I was surrounded by about fifteen guards and in the middle of it all was the angry Lord! His face was as red as a cherry and his belly as round as a pumpkin! Lord Cherry Face was huffing and puffing with anger and exaggeration. He points is sausage finger at me and says," She's….. The… one. Give….. Me… the…. Whip!" One guard hands Cherry Face the meanest looking whip I've ever seen! The Fire! Its pain was like nothing I've ever felt before. I try to escape only to be grabbed by two guards and have another flame catch on my back. The pain is way too much for me! It splashes again and again! My knees give way from beneath me and I collapse on the floor. The dark is closing in. I don't think I can take it anymore!

"Stop!" Who was that? Well, whoever he is he made Lord Cherry Face stop the whipping. I struggle to stand, my knees are shaking, my back is screaming, tears are rolling down my face and the blood from my back is seeping through my shirt and will probably be bloodstained until I find another one in the garbage. I look up and see a man. An important looking man on an important looking horse. As the rest of my tears fall, I notice a crown sitting on the man's head. King Richard! I study his features. His beard was neatly trimmed and his clothes were elegant, but the thing my eyes kept falling on was his eyes. I haven't seen eyes look at me so tenderly and lovingly in a long time. When people do look at me all I can see is "look at her," "oh look, another street rat." But these eyes spoke something different. They showed love. Love that I've only seen looked on another, never on me. I never wanted him to stop looking at me like that.

"What is your name, child?" He spoke, in such a loving tone.

"Sam," my voice was nothing more than a squeak. I cleared my throat, "Sam."

"Ah, Samantha. I saw what you did to protect that woman."

"Yes, um… Sir. I, uh…." I stammer.

"And I congratulate you! It takes great courage to give your back to save another. You will be rewarded greatly."

I was shocked! "Um… that's not necessary, sir."

"Hmmm, I see," he's pondering over something. What? How he's going to punish me? How he's going to make my life even more miserable than it already is? No, his eyes speak differently.

"Samantha, do you have any family?"

"No," I say softly. I look at my feet and try to forget the question.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he scratches his chin and again I wonder what he's thinking. "Samantha, do you know my wife, Penelope and I don't have any children?"

I really wish he stopped calling me Samantha. Wait! What did he just ask me? "Yes?"

"Would you like to be our child?"

That question made me forget all about Lord Cherry Face, my bleeding back and even Elizabeth and Peter. Have a family again, with the king! I haven't had a family in four years! Now I have the chance to be in one again. Am I going to pass up an offer like that? No way! I put a smile on my face and answer "Sir, I would love to be part of your family."


	2. Chapter 1

I'm sitting by the fireplace watching the fire dance. I'm bored. If only King Richard would hold a joust. I'd immediately sign up. I'd show all those other knights what William the Silver Blade can do! I can just imagine the clinging of my armor, the cheering of the crowd, the sound of metal smashing metal, the sweat on my brow and the proud feeling of Victory! I awaken from my day dream by a loud banging on the door.

"Come in," I shout. The door swings open and in comes John, my page. Even though John is my page, he's more of a best friend to me. He's loyal, helps me with my problems and actually listens to me. Some people find it a bit odd that I'm best friends with a thirteen year old boy and I'm eighteen, and guess what? I don't care! Well, as they say, friends have no boundaries.

"What is it, John?" I ask.

"Sir William," John says. "You have an invitation from King Richard."

"John, how many times do I have to tell you to just call me Will?"

"Sorry Sir…. I mean Will," he stammers.

"Now, what about this invitation?"

"His Majesty, King Richard, has arranged a joust and he would like you to take part in it."

It's like John and King Richard to just read my mind! "Well you go tell the squire that I would Love to join the joust," I say excitedly, while I reach for my sword. "John, pack your things," I swing my sword around. "We're heading out in the morning."

X

I look out my window at my father's country. I remember that day six years ago when King Richard took me in as his own. Even today I don't see how he could take in a street rat like me. I look away from the window and at the crossed swords on the wall. That day, that amazing day two years ago when knighted and became the only woman in the kingdom to be a knight! I smile at the happy memory. Now, I glance at the fire leaping in the fireplace. My horrible childhood memory of the day I became an orphan pops into my head. I was eight years old on the day I was carrying the buckets of water from the well to my house. I was humming a song and nearly dropped the buckets from the horror I encountered. My house, the only place to call home, was caught aflame! The doctors tried their best to save my family, but the burns were too bad and they….. they…. they died.

I blink away the terrible memory and a few tears. I hear a whimper and look down to see Lexi, my German Shepherd. My mood changed from sad to happy and a bit of pride as I kneel down and scratch behind her ears. I look into her big, brown eyes and remember being a ten year old girl finding the little pup in a box hiding from the rain. She was in the same state I was: cold, hungry and wet. She reminded me so much of my little sister, Lexi, that I kept her and raised her. A knock at the door brings me back to the present.

Lexi barks at the door. I can't help but giggle. I open the door and standing there is my best friend, Melissa. "Hey, Milly," I say.

"Hello, Sam!" Melissa says, excitedly.

"What has you all piped up?" I can't help but smile. Melissa has a way of making people do that. She is such a smiley person with a bright personality and is just a very likable girl. What's not to love about her? Nothing!

"Your dad is holding a joust and would like to know if you want to participate in the competition," she says in her usual perky voice. She knows me very well.

"Melissa," I grab my sword. "Let's go show those knights what Sam the Lion Heart can do!"

"Yay!" Melissa says and jumps up and down while clapping her hands. This made me throw my head back and laugh so hard tears ran down my face!

X

"Ouch!" I shout, "Not so tight. I'm not a girl!"

"Sorry, Will," John says. John is trying to put my armor on me with great care. I don't think he's doing as good as usual. Something must be bothering him.

"What is it, John? Are you nervous?" I ask.

"No," John says. "It's just…"

"It's just what?"

"Well," he stammers. "You are going to battle someone you're not familiar with."

"Why would you be nervous about that?" I ask, "Who is it?"

"You will be jousting Sam the Lion Heart."

"And what makes you think this 'Sam the Lion Heart' is any different from any other knight?" I laugh.

"Well, Sam the Lion Heart hasn't lost a single joust."

I stop laughing. How can you not lose a single joust? I have won a lot of jousts and I have to admit I am pretty good, but I have lost some, too. I can't let John see that now I'm a tad bit nervous.

"Well, John," I smile. "Looks like this will be Sam's first loss."

X

I'm putting on my armor. I know that other knights have pages to put the armor on their masters for them, but since I'm the only female knight around and no other girl would want to be a knight, I don't have a page. So I have to dress myself.

The door swings open and in jumps Melissa. She jumps up and down as she screams, "Sam! Sam! Guess what, guess what, guess what!"

"Hmmm let me think. A man landed on the moon?" I'm playing with her.

"No, you know that's impossible."

"Oh all right. A woman then," I smile. Melissa sighs, sarcastically. I gasp, teasingly," Oh come on, Milly. Can't you take a joke?" I laugh, "All right, what is it?" I laugh so hard tears pour down my cheeks. I wipe away the tears as Melissa says, "Ha ha, very funny. Anyway, you'll be competing against someone new at the joust." I pull my boots on.

"Well, looks like I'll be showing another knight what this girl can do." I say as I put the last of my armor on. I grab my helmet and sword. Wait, I turn to look at my friend. "Who is this knight?"

"William of the Silver Blade."

"Hmmm, William of the Silver Blade. Sounds like a worthy opponent. Good luck to him," I throw my sword in the air. "He's going to need it." As we walk out the door and slide it in its sheath. "Come, Lexi. This is going to be fun."


	3. Chapter 2

I glance over to the other side of the arena and see my opponent, William of the Silver Blade. He's tall with brown locks of hair. William does appear to be a handsome man, but never judge a book by its cover. I see through the slits of my helmet that he's looking at me! Of course he can't recognize me, could he? No, he couldn't! It's almost time for my turn. I jump onto my horse, Nellie and lift my lance.

X

"That's him," John says, pointing. "That's Sam the Lion Heart." I turn my head to see a young man in full armor. I can't see what he looks like for he already has his helmet on. "Will, it's almost time," John says. I nod as I get up on my horse. "Your lance, Will," John says as he humbly presents the giant, colored stick to me. I grab it, raise it and wait for the signal.

X

The flag drops. I press my heels in Nellie's sides. We're running. I love the feeling of the wind in my face, well, the parts of my face it can get to. The pounding of my heart and the tight grip on my lance. As William comes close, I grit my teeth, squint my eyes and give a sharp yell as my lance pounds against my opponent's chest, causing him to topple off his horse. I win.

X

"Oh," I groan as I grasp my chest with one arm and block my fall with the other. What happened? It was all so fast. One minute I'm excited and full of energy the next I'm falling off my horse! I open my eyes to see the knight jump off his horse. The pain in my chest starts to gradually get weaker. I see my opponent reach for his helmet and lift it off his head. I gasp. John gasps. I hear everyone who traveled with me gasp. For I was expecting to see a big, tough Sam the Lion Heart, but no. I am staring at the most beautiful woman I've ever seen! _Samantha._ I can see why she's called 'Sam the Lion Heart', because she's brave, fearless, but most of all her hair. She has fiery red hair, pale blue eyes and golden tan skin. I can hardly speak!

The announcer shouts, "And the winner is Princess Samantha!" Sam gives a sharp look at the announcer and his expression looked suddenly scared as he corrected himself. "I mean….. Sam the Lion Heart!" Wait a minute. _Princess _Samantha! I lost not only to a girl, but to the _princess! _King Richard and Queen Penelope's daughter!

As I'm trying to take this all in, Sam comes over to me, rests her elbow on her knee, leans down and says loud enough for only me to hear, "Well, I was expecting more of you. Now, listen to me very closely, William…."

"Will," I correct her.

"Will," She doesn't seem to care. "Now that you know who I really am I must tell you something," she smiles and I smile back. "If you ever, _Ever_, call me Samantha or even think to call me Samantha," she stops smiling. "You'll be sorry!" Now I stop smiling. Sam takes my hand, yanks me up and walks away.

John runs up to me, "Will! Are you OK?"

"Yeah," I stare after her. "Wow, she is strong!" I rub my shoulder. Now my shoulder hurts as much as my chest, maybe even worse.


End file.
